Carrie Underwood is set to return to ‘American Idol’ – as a judge!
The US country superstar, who won the show’s fourth series in 2005 and went on to sell 85 million records, has been named as Katy Perry’s successor on the judging panel, hours after Deadline reported her new role.
The singer will appear alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, having returned to the show several times over the years as a mentor. Other names reportedly considered include Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, P!nk and Meghan Trainor.
“Carrie Underwood is the first ‘American Idol’ alum ever to join the judging panel,” said Megan Wolflick, showrunner and executive producer of ‘American Idol’. “Her global superstar status as the most successful Idol winner to date makes her a perfect fit for the show.
“She embodies the true spirit of ‘Idol’ as she herself is the definition of the Cinderella story.”
Speaking to Billboard, Bryan said of the search for a new third judge: “It’s been interesting. We currently haven’t heard what the story is on who’s coming back.
“I think Disney is just trying to figure out what they want to do and we’re just kind of sitting back and waiting until they decide.”
